Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine blade assemblies to these high temperatures. As a result, turbine blades must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. In addition, turbine blades often contain cooling systems for prolonging the life of the blades and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures.
Typically, turbine blades are formed from a root portion at one end and an elongated portion forming a blade that extends outwardly from a platform coupled to the root portion at an opposite end of the turbine blade. The blade is ordinarily composed of a tip opposite the root section, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. The inner aspects of most turbine blades typically contain an intricate maze of cooling channels forming a cooling system. The cooling channels in the blade receive air from the compressor of the turbine engine and pass the air through the blade. The cooling channels often include multiple flow paths that are designed to maintain all aspects of the turbine blade at a relatively uniform temperature. Localized hot spots, depending on their location, can reduce the useful life of a turbine blade and can damage a turbine blade to an extent necessitating replacement of the blade. Typically, the leading edge of the turbine blade is subjected to the greatest heat loads relative to other portions of the blade. The heat load at the leading edge creates challenges in cooling the leading edge sufficiently while efficiently cooling remaining internal portions and outer surfaces of the turbine blade with minimal waste. Thus, a need exists for an efficient turbine blade cooling system.